Lumbar Muscle Structure Predicts Operational Postures in Active-Duty Marines
Abstract
Background The relationship between lumbar spine posture and muscle structure is not well understood. Objectives To investigate the predictive capacity of muscle structure on lumbar spine posture in active-duty Marines. Methods Forty-three Marines were scanned in this cross-sectional study, using an upright magnetic resonance imaging scanner while standing without load and standing, sitting, and prone on elbows with body armor. Cobb, horizontal, and sacral angles were measured. Marines were then scanned while unloaded in supine using a supine magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The imaging protocol consisted of T2 intervertebral disc mapping; high-resolution, anatomical, fat-water separation, and diffusion tensor imaging to quantify disc hydration and muscle volume, fat fraction, and restricted diffusion profiles in the lumbar muscles. A stepwise multiple linear regression model was used to identify physiological measures predictive of lumbar spine posture. Results The multiple regression model demonstrated that fractional anisotropy of the erector spinae was a significant predictor of lumbar posture for 7 of 18 dependent variables measured, and explained 20% to 35% of the variance in each model. Decreased fractional anisotropy...Continue Reading
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